Chapter 279: Tenseigan vs. Rinnegan
The Village Hidden in the Leaves
Kinoshita Genichi took a moment to check in on the situation on the moon. Hinata had been rescued, but her eyes were gone. Still, with Naruto and Sasuke working together, the chance of them losing was slim. As for Kurenai's safety, Genichi wasn't worried. The Transcription Seal was not to be underestimated.
Inside the Moon
Through Genichi's perspective, Kakashi's group had split into two. One team was searching for Ōtsutsuki Toneri, the other for the giant Tenseigan. However, without the aid of the Byakugan, finding either was proving difficult, and the constant interference from puppets wasn't helping. The day ended with no success.
Genichi, observing with his own Tenseigan and Heaven's Eye, had already located both Toneri and the giant Tenseigan. While he could have tipped off Naruto's team from such a great distance, he chose to remain a spectator.
The next day, the search continued. By now, they had eliminated most of the moon's vast puppet army. As night fell once more, Genichi felt a shift. He focused his gaze on the moon's interior. "Oh? It seems the Tenseigan has fully awakened." He noticed a distinct change in Ōtsutsuki Toneri.
"Looks like the main event is about to start!" Genichi settled in, ready to watch the show.
On the Moon
Kakashi, who was on watch duty, felt a surge of danger approaching.
"Sai!" he called out in a low voice, leaping to his feet. Electricity crackled around him as he peered into the darkness. Soon, a figure floated out from the shadows.
"Ōtsutsuki Toneri?" Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
By this time, Sai had woken the others.
Seeing Toneri, Naruto immediately yelled, "Hey! Give Hinata's eyes back!"
Toneri, who had his eyes closed, opened them, revealing glowing Tenseigan as he looked down at Naruto. "You possess neither the right nor the power to make such demands of me. The Byakugan Princess…" Toneri's gaze shifted to Hinata. "…is destined to be my wife. As for her eyes, she will have them in due time."
With that, Toneri raised a hand towards Hinata. The next moment, she cried out as her body was lifted into the air, uncontrollably floating towards him.
"Hinata!" Sakura cried out, grabbing her hand, only to be pulled into the air as well.
"You bastard!" Naruto roared. He flickered between them, his Rinnegan flaring as he thrust his hand towards Toneri.
Shinra Tensei!
The collision of gravitational and repulsive forces caused the air to explode. Both Naruto and Toneri were thrown back a step. At that moment, a swarm of insects surged from the ground behind Toneri, only to burst into nothingness.
"A surprise attack is useless against him," Shino said, shocked.
"Kurenai, Shino, Kiba, Sai, Sakura! Protect Hinata!" Kakashi commanded.
Sai immediately used his Super Beast Imitating Drawing, summoning a large bird to lift everyone into the sky.
Toneri glanced at them, then formed a hand seal. A torrent of green chakra erupted from his body, instantly enveloping him in a brilliant chakra cloak.
Tenseigan Chakra Mode!
"Such powerful chakra!" Sasuke exclaimed, his own Rinnegan activating.
Kakashi's expression grew solemn as he quickly entered Sage Mode. "It seems Genichi wasn't exaggerating in the slightest."
Naruto also entered Sage Mode. Yamato formed hand seals, and thick wooden vines shot from the ground, lashing towards Toneri. But before they could even get close, the vines exploded.
Naruto raised his hand, forming a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, and hurled it at Toneri. Several Truth-Seeking Orbs appeared, merging and expanding into a hemispherical shield.
BOOM!
The Rasenshuriken expanded, crashing against the Truth-Seeking Orb shield. Kakashi and the others shielded their eyes as the storm of wind swept past. When it cleared, Toneri was completely unharmed.
"Truth-Seeking Orbs!" Kakashi immediately adjusted his strategy. "Naruto, you and Sasuke team up!"
Just as he finished speaking, the Truth-Seeking Orbs began to spin rapidly around Toneri's wrist, forming a silver wheel of light. The wheel expanded, instantly creating a terrifying tornado that sucked in Naruto and the others in the air.
Susanoo!
Within the tornado, Sasuke activated his Susanoo, drawing its sword and slicing the vortex apart.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Kurenai and the others landed hard, dazed and disoriented.
Toneri seized the opportunity, and with a grasping motion, Hinata flew into his hand. He created a birdcage of energy and threw her inside.
"Sasuke!" Naruto roared, charging at Toneri.
Sasuke frowned, then activated his dōjutsu, instantly swapping Toneri's position with Hinata's.
Naruto leaped, catching the falling Hinata, and then jumped back to Sakura and the others. "Sensei Kurenai, Sakura, are you alright?"
"We're fine!" Kurenai said, taking Hinata from him.
"This guy is too strong," Naruto said. "Sensei Kurenai, you all should fall back."
Just as he spoke, the ground trembled and a deafening roar echoed through the cavern.
"Look up!" Kiba yelled.
Everyone looked up to see a giant stone statue looming over them. It brought a massive hand crashing down.
BOOM!
Naruto and the others used the Body Flicker Technique to escape. After landing, Yamato immediately used Wood Release, sending thick vines to entangle the Hamura Golem, but the statue easily tore them apart.
"It's too strong!"
Sai quickly began to draw. "Fujin and Raijin!" he yelled. Two giants flew from his scroll, raising their arms to block a punch from the golem.
Sakura, in her second personality, leaped into the air, using the castle walls as a springboard. "Take this!" she shouted, aiming a punch at the golem's head. However, before her fist could connect, she was swatted out of the air.
At that moment, a brilliant purple pillar of light struck the golem's head, instantly exploding. It was Kakashi, using both hands to unleash a Storm Release: Chidori Sharp Spear, creating an even more devastating version of the technique. However, the scattered stone fragments in the air quickly reformed, and the Hamura Golem was restored.
"So Toneri is the key," Kakashi muttered, turning his head. He then saw a golden blade of light slice down, cutting through Sasuke's massive Susanoo.
"What?!" Kakashi was horrified.
Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!
Ōtsutsuki Toneri had unleashed his strongest attack, slicing straight through the Susanoo.
Naruto, who had caught Sakura, saw it too. His eyes widened. "Sasuke!"
BOOM!
Sasuke's form was swallowed by the brilliant golden light. The attack blasted a massive hole from the inside of the moon straight through to outer space, revealing the Earth beyond.
Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Sasuke reappear where Toneri had been. It was obvious he had swapped their positions.
What a useful dōjutsu, Kakashi thought with admiration.
Sasuke, however, was still shaken by that last attack. If he had tried to block it head-on, even the power of his Rinnegan might not have been enough.
"Naruto, go help Sasuke! We'll handle things here!" Kakashi yelled. He leaped into the air, and another Chidori Sharp Spear cut off the Hamura Golem's arm.
"Go, Naruto! We're not to be trifled with either!" Kiba shouted, combining with Akamaru into a high-speed drill and boring a large hole through the golem's body. Shino waved his hand, and a swarm of insects devoured the golem. Yamato's Wood Release also joined the fray. Sakura took out a scroll and summoned an Ōtsutsuki puppet, which her second personality immediately possessed, entering a berserk mode.
Naruto looked at his friends and smiled. "I believe in you all!" He turned to Hinata. "Hinata, don't worry! I'll definitely get your eyes back!"
Hinata "looked" at Naruto, deeply moved. "Naruto-kun… As long as you're safe, my eyes don't really matter."
"How can they not matter?" Naruto said. "Your eyes are so beautiful! I can't let that bastard have them!"
Hinata's heart fluttered. The words struck her, and her face turned crimson. She remembered when she was a child, being called a "white-eyed monster" and bullied, and how Naruto had stood up for her and chased the bullies away.
"Naruto-kun…" An urge to confess her feelings filled her chest.
"I'm going!" Naruto leaped away, following Sasuke through the massive hole. Sasuke, in his Susanoo, had already left the moon's interior.
Konoha
Genichi watched as the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion cut through the Susanoo, raising an eyebrow. "Still a little lacking." Sasuke's Perfect Susanoo was still not on par with Madara's. Of all the Perfect Susanoo, the Sage of Six Paths' was likely the strongest. In terms of offensive power, the Tenseigan Chakra Mode was certainly flashier than the Rinnegan. It had gravity, repulsion, and even Truth-Seeking Orbs. Aside from the unique dōjutsu, it was truly stronger than the Rinnegan.
Still, a one-on-one fight between Sasuke and Toneri would probably be an even match; Amenotejikara was just that useful. Now, two-on-one, their chances of victory were extremely high.
The Moon's Surface
When Naruto arrived, he saw two streaks of light, one green and one blue, moving at high speed, clashing intermittently with deafening roars. Sasuke had forgone his Susanoo and was using a combination of Lightning Release and his Rinnegan to engage Toneri in a high-speed melee.
Naruto raised his hands, forming a blue Ice Release Rasengan in each. With a crackle, lightning enveloped his body. He knew Lightning Release too! Of the seven nature transformations, the only one he wasn't good at was Yin Release genjutsu; he was quite proficient in the other six. Genichi had never held back, teaching Naruto everything he could learn. Thus, Naruto had also mastered a Chidori-style Body Flicker, though he wasn't as skilled as Sasuke. His favorites were still the Rasengan and Shadow Clones. He rarely used techniques like Water or Fire Release in fights.
But now, amplified by Sage Mode, his Chidori Body Flicker was no less fast than Sasuke's.
His figure flickered, and he joined the fray, quickly catching up and slamming his Ice Release Rasengan at Toneri. Toneri raised a hand to defend, meeting it with a green orb of his own, not giving an inch.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Toneri fought two-on-one, matching their speed, and incredibly, was not at a disadvantage. The three of them zipped across the moon's surface, leaving trails of shattered rock in their wake.
Suddenly, Naruto and Sasuke attacked each other. Naruto with his Ice Release Rasengan, and Sasuke with a Lightning Blade: Amaterasu—a Raikiri infused with Amaterasu's black flames. For this, Sasuke had switched to his Mangekyō Sharingan, then back to his Rinnegan.
Toneri, having learned his lesson with Amenotejikara, reacted instantly. He spread his arms, blocking both attacks, then unleashed a burst of power that sent both Naruto and Sasuke flying.
"Sasuke, above you!" Naruto yelled.
A shower of meteorites rained down on them. They quickly dodged.
Toneri used the opportunity to gather his power, once again preparing a Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
Naruto and Sasuke regrouped. The Susanoo reappeared, this time covered in a layer of ice armor. Naruto and Sasuke combined their power, and the Susanoo, instead of drawing its sword, raised its hand and formed a massive Ice Release Rasengan.
The next moment, Toneri swapped places with a rock. The Susanoo Armored Ice Release: Massive Rasengan crashed down, colliding with the still-forming Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
BOOM!
The Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion shattered.
Toneri's Truth-Seeking Orbs converged to block the Massive Rasengan. A blinding light erupted, and with a sharp crack, the Truth-Seeking Orbs began to fracture.
"How is this possible?! Damn it!"
Before Toneri's disbelieving eyes, the Truth-Seeking Orbs exploded. He was sent flying, rings of air appearing and dissipating around him.
CRASH!
Toneri's body slammed into a cliff face, embedded in a crater. The Tenseigan Chakra Mode dissipated, and he was unable to move. "Damn it, my Tenseigan!" In a voice filled with horror, his Tenseigan began to devolve. Just as a tomoe-Rinnegan would revert to a normal Rinnegan when its power was overused, Toneri's chakra was now so depleted that his Tenseigan reverted to a Byakugan.
The Susanoo faded, and Naruto and Sasuke panted slightly.
They approached the defeated Toneri. "Those eyes don't belong to you!" Naruto said. "I'm taking them back for Hinata!" He reached out his hand.
"No!" Toneri roared in terror, but he was powerless to stop Naruto from plucking out his eyeballs.
"Let's go, Sasuke," Naruto said, turning away.
Sasuke glanced at Toneri, then suddenly drew his sword and swung.
Toneri's empty eye sockets stared wide as, to Naruto's shock, his head rolled from his neck.
"Sasuke, you—" Naruto was stunned.
Sasuke sheathed his sword. "This is the only way to prevent future trouble," he said calmly. "Are we supposed to wait for him to regain his power and come back to the village to abduct Hinata, or another member of the Hyuga clan?"
Naruto was at a loss for words.
Sasuke took out a scroll and sealed Toneri's body inside. "Don't forget what Lord Genichi taught us. Mercy to your enemies is cruelty to yourself, and to your loved ones."
Naruto opened his mouth, about to argue that Toneri hadn't killed Hinata. But then he remembered that the only reason Toneri hadn't killed her was because he wanted her as his wife.
After a moment of silence, Naruto looked up. "Sasuke… you're right."
Sasuke put away the scroll and started to walk away. "Let's go. Let's see how Sensei Kakashi and the others are doing."
Naruto nodded and quickly followed.
Konoha
Genichi watched as Sasuke dispatched Toneri without a moment's hesitation. He nodded in satisfaction. As for Naruto, he had changed a lot, but he was still deeply influenced by Asura's chakra.
Overall, Genichi was pleased. "Excellent teamwork."